True. Sometimes it's frustrating to think that it could have been tunneled through campus, both because subways are cool and because it's infuriating to get hung up at the crosswalk at Union St, but then I remember what a car sewer Washington was my freshman/sophomore years, and it's a pretty good trade.

I didn't go east often enough pre-construction to really know what University used to be like, but I imagine its a similar change.

I think that the combination of reduced traffic, the streetscaping around the line (planters, brick pavers, etc), and the crosswalks at the stations a block from the major intersections have left University in much better shape than before. It certainly looks better than it would with a concrete viaduct running down the middle of the street.

I wish that grade separation would have been possible at Snelling and the U, but as it is, the line delivers a pretty great bang for the buck.

It's Metro Transit's application for a safety award for their Rail Compliance Testing Procedures. It's not a full SOP, but it gives you an idea of how complex operating the LRT system is as well as what actions are taken in certain emergencies. It's a fun read if you're a bit nerdy about LRT. It also seemed kind of relevant due to all the accidents this last week.

Also, fun fact, MT didn't have any formal procedures for testing compliance with rail rules until 2011. Before that, supervisors apparently just made up tests whenever they felt like it. It took some joint training with BNSF for MT to realize that maybe they should create something a bit more formal than that.

An eastbound train was stopped at the station as I approached the Washington Ave. crossing. The pedestrian signal changed to "Walk" and the train started moving out of the station. Pedestrians hesitated at the intersection, some started to cross. The train crept along and eventually stopped to allow pedestrians to cross. It was all very confusing.

After I crossed and headed toward the platform, I looked back and immediately saw the problem. There is NO signal for the operator at the crossing. The pedestrian signal and lack of an LRT signal literally set up a conflict.

Like many of you, I think this line is over-signalized but given that, this seems like a dangerous inconsistency.

There is a signal for the trains here, but it's very close to the platform. The distance from there to the crosswalk is far enough that I'm sure the crosswalk signals can go to "walk" for pedestrians and red for cars in the time it takes for a train to start accelerating out of the station and get to the crosswalk.

It's possible for train operators to see the signals for cars and act on those, but I don't really understand why the signal head at the end of the platform wasn't put closer to the crosswalk, or even slightly beyond it. I sometimes find it helpful to read the white bar signals for trains when I'm at a crosswalk, so I know whether they're supposed to be stopped or not (just like seeing green/yellow/red for cars). When the Green Line went in, some of the pre-existing signals on the Blue Line in downtown were pulled to the near side of intersections, so I can't do that as much anymore.

I might have asked this but can't remember. There is a signal for the trains toward the east end of the Washington Ave. Bridge for trains going east and another one at the end of the Stadium Village platform going west that are never on, does anyone know what these are for?

mulad wrote:There is a signal for the trains here, but it's very close to the platform. The distance from there to the crosswalk is far enough that I'm sure the crosswalk signals can go to "walk" for pedestrians and red for cars in the time it takes for a train to start accelerating out of the station and get to the crosswalk.

I swear I looked everywhere for one but I guess I missed it.

Even so, it seems like the ped crossing shouldn't be active when there is a train at the platform that's about to leave.

There has been a fire on the Washington Avenue Bridge this morning, causing all vehicular traffic to be stopped (trains, buses, and cars), though it looks like the upper deck stayed open for bikes/peds. Makes me curious if Metro Transit had a plan on the books for dealing with a total bridge outage -- they'll want to draw one up if there isn't one floating around. (I-94 and University/4th to the 10th/19th Ave bridge are the simplest options)

I was just on the Union Dept platform with two trains there. An announcement said one was leaving in one minute from track 1. Except with the announcement text, there is no signage indicating which is track 1.

Even worse, I was just pushing the blue button to open the door when the train started moving! Scared the bejeezus out of me. No warning, no horn, no bell, nothing. The operator sounded the bell only *after* the train was underway.

I've noticed a number of people on the platforms trying to get in a door by pressing the button, failing, trying to get to another door, and the train taking off. Another guy got stuck on the train and had to come back a station. I understand the doors should be closed as often as possible in the winter, but it seems like there's a lot of difficulty getting in and out.

When I see two trains at SPUD, I try to check which one has its headlights turned on. Of course, this typically only works on the Sibley end of the platform (though if you see a train with its headlights on over on the Wacouta side, it has probably just arrived and you can get on the train showing its taillights).

I'm sure there are signs somewhere, but I've often had trouble seeing them. The track number also gets displayed on the LED panels, but since those displays cycle through different messages, it can be easy to miss.

I recently sent in a request via Metro Transit's website to have them put paint on the platforms indicating the lengths of 1- and 2-car trains, and showing the rough position of doors. It would also make a lot of sense to paint "Track 1" or "Track 2" on the platform surface, especially at SPUD where the departure track is always changing. It'd also be interesting to see some embedded LED lights or something in the platform (perhaps in the textured yellow tiles) to show yellow or red when a train is not departing, but perhaps green when the train at that platform is the one that's currently boarding. (I'm just inventing something on the spot with that -- it'd probably take some trickery to implement, and would be a lore difficult than just getting better signage).

Another tip at SPUD, MOA or Target Field - look at the time on display for the next to depart. The time of the next departure will be featured on the side by that train (track 1 or 2). Also, Track 1 is Northbound on Blue Line, and Westbound on Green Line.